Watson (knee) practiced without a brace at mandatory minicamp this week, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. "The knee is doing good," Watson said Wednesday. "For the nine-week goal we put in from the beginning [of the offseason program], I'm pretty much where I wanted to be. Kind of passed it inside in the weight room, mentally and also on the field, so everything's going smoothly right now."
More than seven months removed from tearing the ACL in his right knee during a Week 9 practice, Watson has made significant progress in his recovery, taking part in all drills but 11-on-11 team work. Prior to minicamp, he was moving about with a brace and later a sleeve during OTAs, so the lack of either this week indicates his presence could be felt at the very start of training camp July 26. Even if he's limited at that point, preseason games will be the true testing ground for the knee in question in advance of the Texans' Week 1 matchup at New England.